Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq has formally lifted restrictions on areas of its airspace that had been reserved for military and security operations for nearly a decade, returning them to civilian aviation use, a senior aviation official said on Friday.

Ihab Saad Kareem, director of the General Company for Airport Management and Air Navigation, told a news conference in Baghdad that the restricted zones had now been officially transferred back to the company in coordination with the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

He also noted that Iraq now had full control over its airspace and that authorities were updating aeronautical data so the changes could be formally communicated to international airlines.

Restrictions in the affected zones began in 2016 and 2017 amid security operations following ISIS’s 2014 seizure of large parts of the country. Opening the areas, Kareem said, would give aviation authorities greater flexibility to establish new air routes and could increase revenue from foreign airlines crossing Iraqi airspace.

Read more: Iraq airspace closure costs $43 million during US-Israel war on Iran

International safety advisories remain separate from Iraq’s domestic decision. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency currently advises operators under its oversight to avoid the Baghdad Flight Information Region because of continuing regional conflict risks.